Birmingham, AL (WIAT)- As Joran van der Sloot sits in a Peruvian prison awaiting trial for murder, some wonder if he'll ever set foot in an American federal courtroom to face extortion charges.
In addition to facing murder charges in the gruesome death of Stephany Flores in Peru, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway has also been charged with attempting to extort money from Natalee's family.
Federal investigators say they caught van der Sloot in a sting operation, saying he tried to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for information that would lead authorities to the location of Natalee Holloway's body.
But with a murder trial that could send him to prison for up to 30 years, there's concern van der Sloot may not stand trial for extortion in Alabama. Extraditing van der Sloot is a complicated process.
Former US Attorney Doug Jones, who has seen a number of extradition cases, says there's a good chance van der Sloot will be extradited. But he says there are a lot of factors to take into account. Click the link for more from Jones.